Patti Yumi Cottrell

A beautiful, hardbound book containing 17 stories, 2 comics, lovely full-page illustrations by Derek Abella, a sumptuous cover by Angie Wang, and the usual Letters section.
The introduction by guest editor Patty Yumi Cottrell is a little bland and her hope that the stories take us somewhere new and unexpected is really what any editor is hoping for in assembling a collection of short stories. Many of these stories sort of echo that sort of blandness. The authors are queer and the characters in the stories are queer, but these stories, for the most part, really could just as well be about straight characters. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, after all, love is love, and loneliness and cruelty are the same no matter the sexual practices or gender identification of the characters. It is important to see stories with queer characters explore the same themes as all fiction. And there are a few that really open up new insights.
My favorites:
Palaver by Bryan Washington: Almost entirely a dialog between a mother visiting her gay son and both of them trying to find a way to communicate.
Bulldogs by Kristen N. Arnett: A woman prone to incredible fits of anger tries to negotiate obstacles in her quest to get coffee at a late night truck stop with the help of her wife over the phone. A nice little reminder that there actually are other people trying to get through their problems in this world along with us.
The Geodic Body by Bridget Brewer: A wild, surreal dream on the homesteading prairie of the American Frontier. A young woman feels like her body is not human and she has more in common with rocks.… (altro)

An issue devoted to queer fiction, and I applaud the inclusion and continued warm spirit of McSweeney’s. How can you not love an organization whose purpose is “to champion ambitious and inspired new writing, and to challenge conventional expectations about where it’s found, how it looks, and who participates.” There are 19 short stories here, and while for me the mix was a little uneven, it’s enjoyable to read new voices and the breadth of the offerings, even within this framework.

My favorites:
Palaver, by Bryan Washington
Bulldogs, by Kristen N. Arnett, probably the one I liked most
The Cruel and Astonishing Tale of Imogen Cabral da Gama, by Gabrielle Bellot
Short Stack, by Paul Dalla Rosa
The Plant Game, by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Honorable mention:
Docile Bodies, by Christopher James Llego
The Wall, by Hurmat Kazmi
Glass, by Sarah Gerard… (altro)